The present invention is directed to a photographic processing drum having a circular drying cylinder and a method of operation.
Photographic processors come in a variety of shapes and sizes from large wholesale photographic processors to small micro-labs. As photographic processors become more and more technologically sophisticated, there is a continued need to make the photographic processor as user-friendly and as maintenance-free as possible.
Currently available photographic processors have one or more of the following shortcomings: (1) the film processing time is relatively long; (2) some photographic processors, because of their size, require a large amount of space to accommodate both the processor and the dryer; (3) some photographic processors may require an unacceptable amount of processing solution due to the design of the processing tank; and (4) some photographic processors generate an unacceptable amount of solution waste due to the design of the processing tank.
What is needed in the art is a photographic processor, which provides exceptional print quality while requiring a minimal number of tasks necessary for an operator to process multiple types of film. What is further needed is a photographic processor which is designed to accommodate the processing section and the dryer of the processor in a compact arrangement which takes up a minimum amount of space while at the same time providing for an improved drying operation.
The present invention addresses some of the difficulties and problems discussed above by the discovery of a photographic processor having an drum processor and a circular drying cylinder which surrounds the drum processor.
The present invention accordingly relates to a photographic processor which comprises a circular processing drum for processing photographic media; and a circular drying cylinder for drying the processed photographic material. The circular drying cylinder comprises an outer housing and a diffuser member provided within the outer housing, with the diffuser member comprising a plurality of air slots which open toward a drying path for the processed photographic media. The outer housing comprises a supply opening through which drying air is introduced into a space defined between the outer housing and the diffuser member. The drying air introduced into the space passes through the air slots to a drying area within the diffuser member to dry the media in the drying path.
The present invention further relates to a method of processing photographic media which comprises the steps of inserting photographic media into a circular processing drum; supplying and discharging processing solution into and from the circular processing drum to process the media; transferring the processed media from the circular processing drum to a circular drying cylinder, wherein the transferring step comprises inserting the media into a drying path provided within a circular diffuser member having a plurality of air slots; and supplying drying air to an outer housing which surrounds the diffuser member in a manner in which the supplied air passes through the air slots, enters the diffuser member and dries the media in the drying path.
The present invention also relates to a method of drying photographic media which comprises the steps of: inserting processed photographic media into a circular drying cylinder, wherein the inserting step comprises inserting the media into a drying path provided within a circular diffuser member having a plurality of air slots; and supplying drying air to the diffuser member in a manner in which the supplied air passes through the air slots, enters the diffuser member and dries the media in the drying path.